About the Southeastern Wind Coalition

Our Management

Katharine Kollins, President

Katharine has been with the Southeastern Wind Coalition as its President since October 2015. She manages SEWC’s programming and operations across 11 states working with a wide variety of stakeholders to promote land-based and offshore wind, wind imports, and the regions’ supply chain assets.

Katharine's experience in the wind industry includes working in finance for Boston-based developer First Wind, consulting with Vestas R&D to formulate a federal grant funding strategy, and a role as business development manager for The Wind Alliance. Katharine has also worked in other renewable energy capacities as an analyst at the Nicholas Institute and authoring an NREL paper on third-Party PPA financing of solar systems.

Prior to the Southeastern Wind Coalition, Katharine worked for RTI International where she was the finance lead for two $30M+ divisions. In her role at RTI Katharine led the creation and start-up of a new business segment that allowed RTI to win over $30M in new work during its first year.

Katharine is a 2009 graduate of Duke's Fuqua School of Business and Nicholas School of the Environment, where she earned her MBA and Master of Environmental Management with a concentration in Energy. She holds a BS in Finance from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Adam Forrer, Manager - Atlantic Region

Adam joined the Southeastern Wind Coalition in May, 2016. He graduated from George Washington University with a Masters in Environmental Resource Policy. While completing his masters, Adam worked for the National Audubon Society and the Sierra Club on various policy issues, including renewable energy.

As the Atlantic Region Manager, Adam assists with SEWC's programs across their 11 state territory with a focus on Atlantic Coast states. His work includes outreach and engagement with stakeholders as well as overseeing SEWC's grant with the Department of Energy for the Southeast Wind Energy Regional Resource Center.

Before GW, Adam attended the University of Richmond on a baseball scholarship where he received his bachelor's degrees in both Political Science and Environmental Studies.

Adam comes to us from Alexandria, Virginia where he attended T.C Williams High School; made famous by the Disney movie "Remember the Titans". When he's not working, Adam enjoys coaching baseball, hiking local trails, and exploring breweries with his girlfriend, Jessica.

Jaime Simmons, Program Associate

Jaime is originally from Columbus, Ohio, where she attended Ohio State University and received a B.A. in Political Science. She went on to receive a Green MBA from Green Mountain College, one of the Top 5 Most Sustainable Schools in the country, and developed a work plan for a transition towards sustainability for a transmission and distribution manufacturer.
Jaime transplanted to Raleigh in 2013 and shortly after joined Siemens as an Account Coordinator where she was responsible for coordinating the installation, reactive service, preventative maintenance and upgrades for X-ray systems in the New York & northern New Jersey area. Through Siemens, Jaime received her Lean Management certification, an approach that supports continuous organizational improvement in efficiency and quality. In 2014 she became the treasurer of the Board of Directors for Toxic Free North Carolina, a non-profit whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolina's people and environment by reducing the exposure and impact of toxic chemicals used in agricultural and consumer products.
Outside of work, Jaime enjoy gardening, hiking, bike riding, and spending time with her husband, Jon, and their dogs, Rory and Logan.
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Jennifer Craft, Intern

Jennifer Craft is a junior Environmental Studies and Political Science double major at UNC Chapel Hill. She is from Hickory, NC and is working with SEWC to update the online supply chain map and has helped compile a list of ports that exist in the 11 southeastern states. She hopes to work in the environmental sector upon graduation.

Natalie Eldredge, Intern

Natalie is a Marietta, GA native who is currently studying as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia to receive her B.S. in Public Health Promotion and certificate in Sustainability. She started working with the coalition in the summer of 2016 to help put together a wind energy barriers and opportunities analysis for the state of Georgia. The analysis will help SEWC gain a better understanding of where we can effectively engage our resources to promote the development of wind energy in the region. She also recently helped organize the North Myrtle Beach Offshore Wind Conference that took place in September.

Bianca Gartner, Intern

Bianca Gartner is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying environmental science, geography, and journalism. She grew up in Durham, NC and is passionate about clean energy and sustainability. She maintains the SEWC social media presence, and helps with newsletter outreach. She is also on the UNC Club Beach Volleyball Team, and in a Modern Dance Company.

Nirav Gandhi

Nirav Gandhi is a graduate student at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, working for a masters degree in Environmental Studies. He is from Greenville, SC, and is working with SEWC on the Kentucky portion of the Opportunities and Barriers Analysis. He has a background in environmental policy and is focusing on the social aspects of renewable energy implementation. He intends to work in the area of corporate social responsibility, making large power companies greener and more efficient from the inside.
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Marcela Moreno

Marcela Moreno is a full-time Research Project Coordinator at the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) and part-time Master's of City & Regional Planning student at Georgia Tech. At SEI, she assists with special research projects along with coordination for the DoE Regional Wind Resource Center, Georgia Coastal and Marine Planner project and Georgia Wind Working Group. As a student, she specializes in environmental and health planning. Her current work includes analyzing wind energy policy in Louisiana to assist SEWC in Opportunities and Barriers Analysis and mapping out resources for the homeless population in Atlanta, GA. She hopes to pursue her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences to advocate for clean energy and water, and an inclusive built environment for all.